Directed by: Chang ChehWhen Shaw Studio decided to produce an epic about the famous Italian explorer Marco Polo and his meeting with Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan, they turned to respected director Chang Cheh, who surrounded famed Caucasian actor Richard Harrison (as Marco Polo) with the best the Shaw Brothers kung-fu film units had to offer - including future lead "Venom" Philip Kwok "Master Killer" Gordon Liu Chia Hui, and "Thundering Mantis" Leung Kar Yan. The result is a splendid historical tale as well as a superlative martial arts thriller.